Seawolves Fall to UMES

By Henry Danner

“That deep three kind of put the dagger in,” said Seawolves head coach Steve Pikiel.

He was right.

With 1:06 remaining to play and the Seawolves trailing 56-59, that deep three by UMES Hawk guard Jesse Brooks put the Seawolves away for good and sent many of the approximately 350 in attendance heading for the doors.

The final score of 58-64 does not tell the whole story of a game where the Seawolves took the first half to overcome an early twelve point deficit, and the second half to swap leads with the visiting UMES Hawks, only to remain winless at home coming into their much anticipated Thursday match up with Villanova.

When asked about how this loss might affect the team going into the Villanova game Pikiel responded: “People are saying the Villanova game, we haven’t even talked about the Villanova game.”

The absence of the team’s leading scorer, Ricky Lucas, was noticeable on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. According to Pikiel, Lucas’ presence on the court changes the whole look of the team. “We got to get Ricky back and healthy because he separates us from a lot of those other teams.”

The Seawolves were held scoreless until Tre Cunningham hit a jump shot with 15:50 left in the first half, ending a 9-0 opening run by the Hawks.

“We didn’t start out strong on defense,” said Pikiel. He continued, “We didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing. When we practice well, we usually play well.”

The Seawolves did not see a lead until a three pointer by Mitchell Beauford put the Seawolves up 30-29 with 2:04 left in the first half. Their biggest lead was four points and came off a Andre Vanterpool free throw with 13:32 left in the second half.

At times, Pikiel’s defensive strategies seemed to work in favor of the Seawolves. They forced the Hawks to commit fourteen turnovers but countered that with seventeen of their own.

The Seawolves used an extended 1-3-1 defense throughout the game, with taller players such as the 6-9 Andre Vanterpool playing the top, to shut down the perimeter scoring of UMES.

The Hawks shot a mere 31% from beyond the arc, proving the effectiveness of the zone defense. However, it was the occasional miscues that really killed the Wolves’ defense. It seemed as if every time they made a good offensive play, they gave the points right back on the defensive end.